Medicine tray



'Mairch11,1'958 v J. J. SCHIAVO" 2,826,341

MEDICINE TRAY Filed May 8. 195a- F/G z INVENTOR. dad/05 J SCH/A V0 A BY 7/zww fl United States Patent 1 2,826,347 MEDICINE TRAY Julius J. Schiavo, Phoenix, Ariz. Application May 8, 1956, Serial No. 583,418 2 Claims. (Cl. 224-48) The present invention relates to a tray for use in transporting medicine to patients in a hospital.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tray which has a place for the separate storage of a plurality of medicines, one which lends itself readily to the rapid and accurate identification of the medicines as they are administered to various patients, one which has space for the separation and storage of hypodermic syringes, and means for separately identifying the syringes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a medicine tray for use in hospitals which is neat and attractive in appearance, sturdy in construction, one easily and economically fabricated, and one which is highly effective in action.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the medicine tray of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring in greater detail to the drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the present invention consists in a tray for trans porting a plurality of medicines to various patients rooms in a hospital, the tray being indicated by the reference numeral and comprising an upstanding base 11, a platform 12 positioned above and spaced from the lower end of the base 11 and fixedly supported on the base 11, there being a horizontally disposed flange 13 extending inwardly from the upper end of the base 11. The platform 12 is fixed to the underside of the flange 13 and is secured there by rivets 14, one of them being shown in detail in Figure 3.

The platform is provided with a plurality of rows of openings 15 each of a size to embracingly support an open top vessel such as a glass 16 shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. The platform 12 is also provided with a plurality of closed slots 17 one on one side of and adjacent each of the openings 15, the slots 17 being of a size to loosely receive a card in an upright position, two cards being shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 and indicated by the reference numerals 18 and 19.

Supporting means is provided beneath the platform 12 and embodies an upstanding V-shaped trough positioned beneath the platform and in registry with each of the slots 17 and fixedly secured to the underside of the platform 12. Each of the troughs 20 is adapted to support the lower end portion of the cards 18 and 19 when the latter extend through the adjacent one of the slots 17.

The troughs 20 are fixedly carried on the underside of the platform 12 by means of rivets or other conventional means such as spot welding if the platform and troughs are of a metallic material. If the troughs and platform are fabricated of plastic such means as adhesive or cement may be used to secure the troughs to the platform.

Handles 21 are secured at each end of the tray 10. A portion of the tray is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 22 and a second groove 23 positioned in parallel relationship with respect to the groove 22. The grooves 22 and 23 provide means for the handy storage of hypodermic syringes and other closed slots 24 are provided with similar supporting means beneath them 2,826,347 Patented Mar. 11, 1958 2 for the support of cards for identifying the particular hypodermic syringe in the adjacent portion of the groove 22 or 23.

An open frame 25 surrounds the portion of the platform 12 covering a portion of the grooves 22 and 23 and forms a divider for the platform 12, there being sufiicient space within the frame 25 for the storage of used and contaminated hypodermic sypringes, separating them from the used and sterile syringes.

It will be seen that the tray of the present invention provides a ready means for the positive and accurate identification of the medicines to be administered to the patients in a hospital. Heretofore flat bottom trays have been used and the medicine doses in small glasses have been kept separate and placed over cards showing the patients name and medicine dose. Too frequently the medicines have been spilled from the glasses and have disfigured the cards and resulted in the wrong administration of the medicines to the patients.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in transporting a plurality of medicines to various patients rooms in a hospital, a tray comprising an upstanding base, a platform positioned above and spaced from the lower end of said base and fixedly supported on said base, said platform having a plurality of rows of openings, the openings of each row being of a size to embracingly support an open top vessel in an upright position, there being a closed slot on one side of and adjacent each of said openings adapted to loosely receive a card in an upright position, said platform also having a pair of longitudinally extending grooves for the storage therein of hypodermic needles with a row of closed slots immediately adjacent each of said grooves, an open frame bridging a portion of said grooves and supported upon said platform for the storage of used and contaminated hypodermic needles, and supporting means positioned beneath said platform and in registry with each of said slots and fixedly carried by said platform, each of said supporting means being adapted to support the lower end portion of said card when extending through the adjacent slot.

2. For use in transporting a plurality of medicines to various patients rooms in a hospital, a tray comprising an upstanding base, a platform positioned above and spaced from the lower end of said base and fixedly supported on said base, said platform having a plurality of rows of openings, the openings of each row being of a size to embracingly support an open top vessel in an upright position, there being a closed slot on one side of and adjacent each of said openings adapted to loosely receive a card in an upright position, said platform also having a pair of longitudinally extending grooves for the storage therein of hypodermic needles with a row of closed slots immediately adjacent each of said grooves, an open frame bridging a portion of said grooves and supported upon said platform for the storage of used and contaminated hypodermic needles, and supporting means embodying an upstanding V-shaped trough positioned beneath said platform and in registry with each of said slots and fixedly carried by said platform, each of said troughs being adapted to support the lower end portion of said card when extending through the adjacent slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,098,897 Gardner June 2, 1914 1,647,922 Linder Nov. 1, 1927 1,653,244 White Dec. 20, 1927 2,026,396 Meinecke Dec. 31, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 76,185 Germany Apr. 25, 1919 

